My Fairy Tale

For years I’ve been reading about people who have stepped out in crazy faith.  They would hear God and follow Him fearlessly.  No matter the circumstance they had faith in the Power that was and is greater than any in existence.  I wondered if I would truly ever posses that kind of faith…  I think if any of us are honest with ourselves we realize there are many times we crumble under the harshness of this world.  We don’t immediately lean on the Rock that we stand on.  But as I thought of this past year I realized I HAD found that Faith I was looking for!

This past year brought with it painful loss and heartache.  Though when I reflect I see the unbelievable strength I had in those circumstances. Though it wasn’t my strength in that time it was God’s!  Wow.  And when I think of my unconventional call to Honduras I see the crazy confidence I’ve had.  Even though every circumstance screamed impossibility I knew I had to go.  And as the year progressed obstacle after obstacle disappeared!

So now I’m leaving the country in one week.  God has paved a miraculous trail up to this point but I still ask for your prayers and support!  I’m not asking for a “fairy tale” ending.  I don’t want my toad to turn into a prince.   But I do want my life to bring a better one to those in Honduras.  My prayer is for God to lead me to the person in desperate need of help, to the child who has given up hope.  I don’t just want to be a teacher to the orphans but an inspiration! 

God has turned my life from an ugly toad into His beautiful child.  This is the beginning of My Fairy Tale please help me complete the end.

Stay tuned - more to come very soon!  J 

I hear Him calling



The orphanage in the mountains of Honduras



10 days.  This is the number of days I have until I leave everything I've ever called home.  I'm leaving my family and friends, my home and all of my belongings.  The closer this date gets the more I am asked if I'm nervous.  The strange thing is the closer this date gets the less nervous I am!  I had to take a minute to think about this.  Am I just throwing caution to the wind?  Or maybe my sanity has left...  No, it's none of these.  The closer I get to leaving the stronger I hear Him calling.  His call is louder than the balance in my bank account.  It is louder than my 2 week notice and lack of health insurance.  His call smothers any doubt or fear and creates a passion that overtakes me.  I'm overtaken with idea after idea of how I can help those that have no help.  I'm overtaken with the feeling that I can make a difference in Honduras.

For those of you that don't know exactly what I will be doing I'd like to take a minute to explain.  I will spend the next month working with IMI Ministries in Minnesota.  During this time I will get certified to teach English and learn as much Spanish as possible.  After this month I will fly to Honduras.  In Honduras I'll be teaching English to about 50 orphans.  Their ages range anywhere from toddler to teenager.  Learning English will greatly increase their chances of getting a good job when they leave the orphanage and will offer them a great future.  I've also decided to hold English classes in a small impoverished village where the IMI orphanage use to be.  These village kids are hungry to learn but their public school system does not afford them the opportunities they deserve.  This, I believe, is only the tip of what I will do in Honduras.





The village kids



I have read that the hardest thing for missionaries to do is ask for support.  I can say this is true.  But even though I have no fear about my future, I know that to help these children I have to ask for support.  The cost of living in Honduras will be about $400 a month. If there is a tug on your heart to make a difference please take a minute to donate through the donate button on this blog.  A little can go a long way in Honduras.  Any extra money I receive will be spent on teaching supplies.  As of right now I will need a set of teaching manuals, a dry erase board and paper and pencils. 

Here am I Lord.  Send me.



Destiny

I've always wondered what it would take to become a missionary.  Growing up, I saw the occasional missionary speak at a Sunday service.  The missionary would fill the allotted time with stories of people he had helped and trials he had endured.  If we were lucky there would be a video giving life to his words. But before the story could truly begin he would be packing up his display in the back of the church and heading off to share with the next congregation. 

After these visits I use to sit and wonder if all it took to become a missionary was a call from God.  Did these missionaries wake up one day and decide to move to some remote land?  Was the vision enough to pack up their families and brave some third world country?  I never had the opportunity to find out.  That is until now.

My countdown has begun.  In less than 3 months I will be leaving everything I've worked for my whole life. ( I finally own a Kitchen Aid!)  All kidding aside the preparation has started to put butterflies in my stomach.  Expensive vaccines, outrageous dental work and stretched finances have all occupied my time.  I was pretty impressed with myself until this past weekend when I learned my first valuable lesson.

I've always believed destiny to be something out of our control.  Destiny just happened.  You lived your life to the best of your ability and POOF your destiny swept you away to a place made just for you.  Well, I realized (ok no I was corrected) that you had to STEP INTO your destiny or it would pass you by!  Maybe you're doing something you know you shouldn't or not doing something you know you should... maybe you're doing nothing at all.  Any of these things can leave you stranded as your destiny passes you by!  It makes no difference how hard you are working or how well you are planning.  God needs us listening to Him, trusting Him and moving for Him.  THEN we will be stepping into HIS destiny for us:

 

"No eye has seen,

    no ear has heard,

 no mind has conceived

    what God has prepared for those who love

       him"  1 Corinthians 2:9

This is where I want to be. 

My Story

My name is Naomi and I am from Chicago, Illinois. 

This will be my third time traveling to Honduras in July with Global Impact Foundation.  The families, children, and orphans that I have formed relationships with have had a major impact on my life.  Such a big impact, in fact, that I have decided to devote an entire year to living in Honduras to make a difference in their lives and learn more about them.

During my last trip to Honduras, I was able to see God work through the eyes of a little boy named Jesus.  He had recently become very ill and was frequently losing consciousness.  His family was unable to fund a doctor's visit to diagnose his condition.  While I was there, his condition was worsening. 

I knew that a doctor's visit was imperative.  Through the loving and giving hearts of our group, we were able to pool enough money together to pay for the doctor's visit for Jesus.  Through an interpreter, I negotiated fees with a local doctor.  As it turned out, Jesus was diagnosed with a case of tonsillitis.  If left untreated, his condition would continue to worsen until bacteria traveled to his heart and threatened his life.  Thankfully, we were able to fund the surgery.  During my upcoming time there, I hope to be able to share more stories like this one with you.

I am looking for financial support which will enable me to spend a year making a difference.   I would greatly appreciate any donation, big or small, to my cause.  These funds will enable me to pay for housing costs, food, and transportation.  Any funding above and beyond my needs will go to aid the most needy of Honduras. 

Thank you for helping me help them.  Please keep me in your prayers as I begin my journey.


Naomi Kankowske

e-mail  naomigk1@gmail.com